Wolf Hunt
by CrystalFoxFairy
Summary: AU. Stiles did not expect much on his 21st birthday, but due to a series of events, he gets dragged into a deal made between a hunter and a werewolf. What doesn't help is that his dad is now setting him up on blind dates. Now he must do what he can to keep the people close to him alive.
1. Happy Birthday

**A couple weeks ago I promised on my profile that I would create an Teen Wolf alternate universe inspired by Swan Lake. Sadly, life kept getting in the way of me even writing the first chapter... and I was being a bit lazy too, but here is the first chapter. I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters.**

* * *

Stiles had been looking forward to this day for weeks. He made sure all of his school work was set and done, that his job knows he needs this day off at work, and his dad will absolutely, without a doubt, not be called into work for nothing less than someone being killed. Really, what were the chances that somebody would die in quiet Beacon Hills today? So what if there has been a weird series of disappearances for a few months with it all starting with a man in a coma, continued through a man simply stopping through town on a trip to south Cali and the case is currently standing on the girl whom he used to go to high school with? His dad will probably get called in today, but at least they can have breakfast together.

As Stiles was pulling on his favorite graphic tee and heading downstairs, he couldn't help but think about those cases. It seemed, for the most part, that only the last three cases should be linked together, and that was mostly because the three went to high school together. Otherwise none of the cases would be linked together, but a small town like Beacon Hills does not usually deal with disappearances of the human kind. Sure, an occasional missing dog or cat, but nothing more serious than that. There had to be a way the cases were related beyond that small fact, but Stiles just couldn't figure out how

But now was not the time to think about that. Today he was going to start with a breakfast with his dad that he normally would not allow his father to indulge in. There was going to be a lot of bacon, sausages, pancakes, and many pots of coffee.

As he sat down at the table looking at the feast of the morning, his dad just finished the last bacon to be made for the meal, turned, and told his young son, "Happy 21st birthday, Stiles."

Stiles couldn't help but smile back at his dad and reply, "Thanks, Dad. I'm really glad you were able to get work off today."

The Sherriff smiled back at his son, "Me too, kiddo." He wanted to tell his son that he knows his late wife, Loreto, would be so proud of the man her son has become, but talks of that nature usually led to a lot more tears than both men preferred to shed, so he settled for quietly enjoying his breakfast while watching his son eat enough food for two people with the elegance of a two year old. Maybe it's okay that Loreto doesn't watch him eat.

After they finished eating and placed the dishes into the sink, the two Stilinski men sat at the table while enjoying their coffee on a, for once, quiet day together. Not long into their coffee drinking silence, did John Stilinski clear his throat, signaling to Stiles that he had something important to say.

"There is something I want to talk to you about, son."

This naturally caught Stiles', usually fleeting, attention, "What is it dad?"

The sheriff took a deep breath before saying, "I want to set you up on a blind date." Naturally, Stiles was in mid-sip when he heard this and promptly started choking on the coffee. He calmed himself down and looked to his very serious looking father.

"You're serious?"

John let out a sigh before replying, "I haven't really seen you date anyone seriously, and I know you are not interested in anyone, so I figured it wouldn't hurt. As your father, it is my duty to make sure that you end up with someone happy and give you a push."

Stiles couldn't help, but stare at his dad with everything that was said. So he hadn't dated anyone in a while, and none of the relationships were ever that serious. That didn't mean that his dad should set him up with some stranger that he didn't know. So Stiles asked the most important question of the situation.

"Why?"

Mr. Stilinski was prepared for this question, "I understand that you are young, and don't need to be tied down yet, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be looking. With as often as you go to parties, you don't try to get a girl's number or flirt with them, or go home with anyone with what I hear from Scott."

Of course his dad used Scott to find out about what he does at UCLA.

"It's not that I am not looking for anyone, I just haven't found anyone interesting or worth trying to get to know better." It's not like it's his fault that none of the people that he has met so far have really held his interest.

Hoping that he could get Stiles to see his way, John told his son, "But I remember back in high school you used to at least try to get a date with that Lydia Martin girl."

With an incredulous look on his face, Stiles replied, "You mean the goddess of Beacon Hills High? I dare you to name someone other than Danny that would not want to go on a date with perfection incarnate."

John had enough with where the conversation was going, "I'm not getting into an argument with you over this. I already set up the blind date for you tomorrow and you are going even if I have to put you into the squad car and drive you there myself."

Stiles, knowing that he was just going to have to give, conceded, "Fine, I'll go."

* * *

Stiles enjoyed his day with the sheriff. Together they went to watch the new Star Trek movie and went to his favorite diner, where he let the sheriff enjoy a turkey burger instead of the mandatory veggie burger, but, much to both of their disappointment, their day together had to end when the sheriff got a call for a homicide. At least the deputies kept their word about only calling in his dad if somebody was dead. He couldn't even be upset at them. He was the sheriff after all.

Seeing as how he didn't have any other plans for the day, and that he wasn't due to meet Scott at Jungle 'til ten, Stiles decided to walk through the preservation for the fun of it. He remembered his mother taking him camping at the preserve all the time, roasting marshmallows, looking for mushrooms and bugs, climbing trees, and telling very bad ghost stories. He spent a lot of his summer nights with his parents and another family with a boy not too much older than him in the preserve, but looking back on it, Stiles isn't too sure if it was really camping as much as pitching a tent in someone's backyard. He doesn't exactly remember who the other boy he would spend time with was. Just that he had black hair, green eyes, and he thinks his name was Eric.

A couple years back, after the anniversary of his mother's death, he decided to look into the family that he used to play with. The only people that his research came up with for the people that used to live there was the Hale family. His research then showed that most of the family died in a fire a few weeks before his mother did, and the three surviving members are two kids that disappeared immediately after and the man in the coma that disappeared himself a few months back. He felt bad for what happened to the family, but he also felt guilty that the only reason he wanted to find them was to see if they had any pictures or wanted to reminisce over the well-loved Loreto Stilinski.

Stiles was by the river that leads to the big lake in the forest when he heard a twig snap behind him. Instinct told him to turn around and see what it was, what it didn't prepare him for was to see a large wolf standing just a few feet away from him. Stiles didn't know whether he should stay still or run. He may have heard from Animal Planet or read online that if you run from a predator like a wolf, it will take it as an invitation to take you down and out. At the moment, not moving seemed to do the trick of not dying.

The wolf's right ear turned to the side, as if he heard something, before he moved his head to the same direction. After a pregnant pause, the wolf turned his head back to Stiles, gave him a commanding growl, and started running away from where he had originally turned to.

Stiles then proceeded to fall onto his bottom, where he tried to calm down and applauded himself for managing to not wet his pants. It was at times like these that he was glad that, in the Dynamic Duo relationship he had with Scott, he was the clumsy one and not the one with asthma. Maybe he should stop comparing himself and his best friend to Batman and Superman. They really had nothing in common with the comic book characters, regardless of what they liked to tell themselves.

By the time he caught his breath, it was almost sunset. Stile's safest bet was to walk the river to the lake, use the trail to get back to the main road in the preserve, and then get to his car. Hopefully he can do this all without running into another wolf. He didn't even know there were wolves in California.

By the time he reached the lake, it was already sunset. He would be lucky if he could make it to his car before the few street lights in the preserve had to switch on. As he reached the parking lot closest to the lake, he heard the distinctive sound of a shotgun being cocked. Stiles quickly turned his head to the sound and saw an older man with graying hair pointing a gun to him. If Stiles saw this man walking around town any normal day, he would not have looked twice at him. Hell, he'd probably sooner offer to help the man cross the street than assume he was going to kill him.

"We both know I could have shot you by now, but between you and me, I like to see the fear in my kill's eyes before I pull the trigger," the old man had said with a smile. Well if that doesn't make you panic, then obviously you need more help than the guy holding the gun.

Stiles had heard countless times that when you are faced with your eminent death, that your life will pass through your eyes. He had always supposed it was like a movie reel of "The Best Of" or your biggest regrets. He remembered reading a book a few years back where the characters in the book would stand behind a screen showing video clips of their life, what they had experienced, viewed, or related their life to while reciting a 100 word short story or poem about what made them view the world the way they did or the reason why they did what they have done, usually right before they died. At this moment, Stiles could only see his mother before she had died and was beautiful. When she would give him muffins to make sure he had a healthy enough snack that was sweet, how she had showed him how to climb a tree, the best way to roast marshmallows, and to not listen to the way the other people said his name wrong, because no matter what, Loreto Stilinski will always say it right.

Stiles closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Just because he didn't want the last image he saw as he lay dying was his murderer holding a gun, did not mean he didn't want to remember the place he and his mother loved so much. As he heard the shotgun being fired, he felt himself being knocked down to the ground by something large and heavy from the side.

Stiles had to open his eyes to see this. Although it was more like only his right eye, since half of his face was being smashed into the earth. From what he could see, there was a man with dark hair on top of him actually growling at the older man. So he definitely wasn't dead yet. That or heaven really did not live up to the promises made to him. Where were the angels, the clouds, and the 100 virgins he was promised? Admittedly, he would be more upset by the sever lack of virgins.

"You know the deal," spoke the man holding Stiles down, "when the sun sets all weapons get put away and will not be used again 'til sunrise." The man holding the gun lowered his weapon and held it at his side with a smirk worse than his smile.

"Don't forget that pre-set traps are within the limits."

The man holding Stiles growled back at him, "But they cannot be within a mile of well-marked trails, parking lots, and streets or any kind."

The other man remarked, "Touché," and began to walk away, "until next time." It was at this time that Stiles realized that the man holding the gun was an experienced hunter of many sorts. That knowledge actually made him feel sicker than he thought possible. The dark haired man waited 'til he was satisfied that the hunter would not come back before he started getting off of Stiles and helped dust him off a little.

"Are you alright," the man asked Stiles.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. Thank you." Of course this is the moment when he notices the man that saved him is not wearing anything.

With wide eyes he asked, "Dude, where are your clothes?" The other man glared at him like he was the idiot running around naked in the woods.

"Don't worry about that. Do you have a car around here somewhere?"

Confused, Stiles answered, "Yeah, but it's over by town, close to Bob's Diner."

The other man sighed before saying, "That's a couple miles out. Wait here while I grab my clothes and I will walk you to your car."

Stiles replied, "Um, thanks." This was definitely not how he had planned on spending his birthday.

* * *

**I had tried to find out what the official day of birth for Stiles was, but I kept getting to many different answers, so I decided that since this was an alternate universe anyway, why not just make up my own date anyway. Please tell me what you think so far about this.**


	2. Wolves In Beacon Hills

**Here is the next chapter of my story. Please also read my extra notes at the end. Please let it also be noted that I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters.**

* * *

As Stiles waited for the stranger to come back out, he tried to figure out how his day even got to this point. All he wanted for his birthday was for him to spend some time with his dad, eat a lot of junk food, and watch a good movie, but he just had a gun pointed to him by some crazed hunter while his dad was at some homicide site. The last part was weird for Beacon Hills, but the rest just didn't make any sense.

Maybe he ate a wild mushroom that he doesn't remember eating and is now having the equivalent of an acid trip. If he was, then this was probably to get much worse before it got better. He would probably start seeing a bunch of people dancing naked around a bonfire. And they wouldn't even be good looking people like the dark haired man. That thought was dismissed quickly though.

The other man came out of the trees fully dressed with a specific theme. He was wearing a black Henley, with black jeans, and black shoes; which was all topped with a black leather jacket. Stiles would bet his precious jeep on what color the man's underwear was.

Before he could really think, Stiles said, "Dude, it's the middle of summer. Don't you think it's too hot to wear a leather jacket? And what's up with all of the black?"

The other man raised a single eyebrow before answering, "First off, don't call me dude. Second, I will wear whatever I want whenever I want. Thirdly, what color I wear is none of your business. Now if you don't mind, let's start heading to your car. It will be a while before we get there anyway." The stranger stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets before walking off.

Stiles couldn't argue with his last point, so they slowly started down the road that would eventually lead to his car, what he will use to go home and get ready to spend the rest of the evening at Jungle. He just realized he really didn't feel like going to the club anymore.

Stiles looked at the man. He really was quite handsome with all the dark hair and stubble, but what really caught his attention were his green eyes that seemed to see more than others could. Like he could look beyond basic solid masses and see the individual particles that made things up. Stiles also very well remembered what he saw when the man was still naked. All of that slim yet muscular six-pack hotness, but he did not look at anything passed the belt. He didn't know then, nor now, why that man was naked, but he was going to give him the respect that he may or may not deserve. Since the guy did save his life, and was kind enough to walk him to his car, Stiles was going to lean with the guy deserving respect.

Stiles was able to stay quiet for a few steps before he asked, "Well if I can't call you dude, then can you at least tell me your name?" The other man looked at him, again with a raised eyebrow.

After deciding that it wasn't necessary to continue watching him for some ulterior motive to the question, he replied back, "Derek."

"Well Derek, my name is Stiles." Stiles was only able to stay quiet for two steps this time. "Why did that crazy old man try to shoot me?"

Derek had to let out a sigh before a sad look crossed his face. He tried to replace it with a neutral one, but you could still see what he was feeling in his eyes.

"You saw the wolf. Didn't you?"

With flaying arms, Stiles said, "Well yeah, but why would a poacher care that I saw an animal that wasn't even indigenous to the area. It's not like anyone would even believe me."

"It's because the wolf isn't supposed to be here that he was ready to kill you."

"Oh." Stiles looked down at his feet that he really wanted to drag, but knew it would probably piss the other guy off and make them go slower. He started thinking about the poor wolf running around, knowing it was being hunted, to please the desires of some sick man.

"Is the wolf alone?" Derek looked to Stiles again, but this time with confusion.

Knowing what he was about to ask, Stiles said, "Wolves are pack animals. Like humans, they need constant contact with others to feel safe. If the wolf I saw today is being hunted, I would like to think that he is not here alone and that he has his pack here with him to help him feel safe and give him purpose to try to survive for more than just to survive."

For the first time in their brief acquaintance with each other, Derek smiled at Stiles before letting out a huff.

"I'm pretty sure his pack is hiding and waiting for him to come back."

"Why would the others be hiding?"

"They probably know that he is doing everything he can to make sure that his pack doesn't get hurt."

Stiles suddenly stopped walking and asked, "What do you mean?"

Derek stopped with him and looked right at Stiles before answering, "That wasn't some random wolf you met, Stiles. That was the alpha of the wolf pack."

Stiles couldn't think of a better response than, "oh," before he continued walking towards his jeep again.

If Derek was right, and that was the alpha of the group, then he felt bad for the wolf. As Alpha, of anything really, that meant that he was in charge of making sure his pack stayed safe and healthy. That he had to protect them at all times while making sure the other needs of the pack were met. How was that wolf supposed to do all that away from his real home? For a wolf to have to go through all that, and make sure some poacher wasn't going to kill them, seemed like a lot of responsibility for something that had to stay hidden.

"I don't think that's how the wolf sees it. He isn't doing it because he has to. He is doing it to make sure that his pack, his family, stays safe."

If Derek just said that, then it means that Stiles just spoke his thoughts out loud without thinking again. Somehow, Derek didn't seem fazed by that ramble.

Stiles looked very intently at Derek before he asked, "What's your part between the hunter and the wolf?"

Derek let out a very dejected sigh at that question.

He had taken a couple of steps before answering, "I make sure that he follows the rules of the deal he made."

The answer didn't make Stiles feel much better. Why would a guy, whom was willing to participate in something barbaric, be nice enough to save a guy and walk him to his car? That didn't make any sense. Stiles could only ask the next logical question.

Reflexively, Stiles asked, "What are the rules?"

"From sunrise to sunset shall the hunter be able to hunt the alpha of the pack. He may lure the wolf into a trap set during the hunt, but never during the time of the moon, and must not be able to hurt bystanders within a mile of public spaces. Bystanders that venture past this point can only be considered to be a part if they come within direct contact of the alpha. Both the Wolf Alpha and Hunter must stay within the preserve at all times during the hunt, no more no less."

To Stiles, the way Derek recited that sounded more like a sick contract or pledge. As if he did more than just memorized it once, but repeated it to himself constantly throughout the day. Like he himself lived by the rules.

"To me it sounds like a lot of rules for a simple illegal hunt."

Derek didn't respond to that comment. Stiles wasn't sure if he could.

"Why do you do this?"

Derek answered, "If I don't do this, then nothing stops him from going after the pack instead."

Stiles looked carefully at Derek after that. He had to know something if that was his response.

"You know where the pack is. Don't you?"

Derek stopped and stiffened at that.

He just looked angry and frustrated before he rubbed his hand through his hair and asked, "What were you doing so deep in the preserve anyway? Shouldn't you be at the mall or something?"

Stiles looked down at his feet with a sigh before answering, "I turned twenty-one today, and on big milestone days like this, I think about my mom. How I wish she was alive to see me get to this point in my life. I used to come to the preserve all the time with her, for camping and stuff. I probably wouldn't have gotten so lost in my thoughts today if my dad didn't tell me that he was going to start setting me up on blind dates so I could meet someone. It doesn't make sense why he thinks that would work considering my dad met my mom when he had to pull her over for speeding back when he was still a deputy. How can a man that spontaneously met the love of his life think that forcing something would help me find mine?"

Derek was looking at Stiles with wide eyes. To think that the guy in front of him already had a lot on his mind before a deranged stranger pointed a gun at him.

"Sorry about having a rough day on your birthday."

Stiles waved him off and started walking down the road again saying, "It wasn't a rough day. I just wish my dad would worry about himself more than about my non-existent love life."

With the air feeling so thick, Derek was relieved when Stiles shortly started running up to what he assumed was his jeep.

With a smile, Stiles asked his car, "Hey Baby, did you miss me?" He walked to the driver side and put his hand on the door handle before he looked to Derek and asked dejectedly, "I won't see you again, will I?"

Derek shook his head and answered back, "It really would be best if we didn't. You should stay safe enough if the poacher or I don't see you again."

Stiles nodded his understanding before opening his car door and started climbing into it.

Before Stiles closed the door, he asked, "What are you going to do now that the guy can't go hunting for that wolf right now?"

"I'm going to head back to my place and rest up. It does start all over again tomorrow."

Stiles leaned his head back against the head-rest. With everything that he just found out today, he doesn't even feel like heading out to Jungle anymore.

"You should go. I'm the one that is supposed to worry about the wolves, not you. One of us should be able to go out and do normal people things." Curse his lack of brain to mouth filter.

It hurt Stiles at how Derek sounded like he didn't deserve to do normal people things. As if he truly thinks he is on this planet strictly to mediate some sick contract that an old man would be willing to break within a second. Stiles couldn't stop what came out of his mouth next.

"My dad is the sheriff. I can tell him what is going on here. You could give him proof and we could stop that guy from hurting-

"It doesn't work that way Stiles," Derek interrupted. "If the hunter even suspects he is about to get caught, he will break the deal and just cause a massacre. You are not the first one to run into the wolf, but you are one of the few that gets to live. If you really want to go against him, then stay away from here so he won't have a reason to finish what he started."

Stiles wanted to argue with him, but he knew he couldn't. Derek was right. How could he use the law to fight a monster that blindly went against it?

Stiles closed the car door and rolled down his window.

He faced Derek and said, "Goodbye Derek."

"Goodbye Stiles."

He then placed his key into the ignition and started the car. He watched Derek disappear in his rear view mirror as he was driving away.

As he was driving home to change and head to Jungle, Stiles couldn't help but wish that he could help save the wolves, or at least see Derek again.

* * *

**For those of you that may have noticed, I changed the rule about a trap can't be within a hundred feet of public areas. I live really close to a couple national preservations and a hundred feet seemed really short for some bystander to walk away from the trail to set off a trap. I have also edited the first chapter. I hope you guys like this story so far. Please send in reviews or PM me your opinions and comments.**


	3. House In The Forest

**Hello again, everyone. It took me a while to get this right, but I finished the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoy this. I do not own **  
**Teen Wolf or any of it's characters.**

* * *

Derek is nearly back at the house in the middle of the preserve when he feels something big and heavy land on his back.

With a soft smile, Derek says, "Hello Erica."

He hears a giggle before she says, "Hello Alpha."

"You know you don't have to call me that," Derek tells her as a tall man walks out of the house and bumps shoulders with him.

"Hello to you too Boyd," Derek said as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Derek turned his head to the other side to see a middle aged man with a fond look, "Hello Peter."

"So, what did you guys do today," Derek asked while walking into the house with Erica still riding piggy back.

Erica began to excitedly chat about how they went to the mall a few towns away where she and Isaac posed as twins with Peter as their father and Boyd as the boyfriend. Most people didn't question them with how much Erica and Isaac look alike, especially after their makeovers, and even though the two have only known each other for a short while, she and Peter tend to share the same mischievous smile from time to time.

She explained how they were approached by some woman to get a date with Isaac. When he declined, she asked if she could take their pictures taken. Derek already knew they had to say no. If someone they knew recognized them, then everything they worked on would go down the drain.

After Derek enters the house, he notices that he is still missing one person.

"Where's Isaac?"

Derek was hit with a heavy dose of nerves and sadness.

Peter was the one that decided to explain, "We ran into some sad news while we were out today. Apparently Isaac's father was found dead. The police are currently leaning towards an animal attack. They are trying to find Isaac, but don't know where to look."

Derek nodded his head, "I see." He walked up the stairs to find him in the bedroom curled up into a ball on one of the mattresses in the bedroom.

Derek sat next to Isaac and asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm sad that he is gone, but now I know he won't try to come find me, although I don't think he tried at all. It feels weird to miss and mourn for him."

Derek patted his head and told him, "I know. He was your father. It's ok to be feeling this way." Isaac nodded at him.

Derek looked towards the door and saw everyone waiting for their Alpha to tell them that everything was fine. He waved them in and watched as the all tried to comfort Isaac. Erica lifted Isaac's head and placed him on her lap and started stroking his curls. Boyd moved to Isaac's back and rested a hand on his shoulder. Peter sat at the edge of the mattress and rested a hand just above Isaac's foot. Derek rested his hand on Isaac's side and just enjoyed the calmness they were able to enjoy for a few minutes. It really was difficult to get some peace with his pack with the hunters running around. Of course somebody had to stir the pot during quiet time.

"Nephew, did you run into somebody today?" And of course that had to be nosy Peter.

Erica leaned toward Derek from her spot, sniffing as best as she could.

"He's right. You smell different, but somehow relaxing and exciting."

Derek sighed knowing he was going to have to talk about his run-in with that weird guy.

"I had to save the sheriff's kid today from the hunter."

Everyone but Peter turned their heads and stiffened. Even Isaac raised his head from his spot on Erica's lap.

"You saved him and ran, right," Isaac asked.

"Not exactly," Derek answered. Needless to say, he was surprised when he heard the three younger betas groan loudly. "I told him he probably shouldn't come back."

Erica raised her hand is exasperation, "Great, now he definitely will come back."

Derek tried to defend his decision by saying, "Well he had a gun pointed to him," he could hear Boyd grumble about how it probably wasn't the first time that happened, "so I doubt he will come back."

"Don't bet on it," he was surprised to hear Isaac be snarky.

Derek asked with ire, "What makes you all so sure he will come back? He had a shot taken at him. There is no way that anyone can have that much of a death wish to come back to the very place he was going to die at, much less at the time he will probably be shot at again."

"You told him when the hunter is here," Isaac asked with shock.

"Well he is used to coming to the preserve, so I figured if he would come back it will be best if he knew when it was safe to be in the area." Derek never had the need to defend his choices to his pack so hard before.

The young betas stared at Derek with an evaluating look, like if they stared at him hard enough they could figure out if he was dropped on his head at a young age. Eventually they gave up looking for whatever they couldn't find and decided to pay attention to each other and find a better position. Somehow the three positioned themselves against the wall on the bed with Erica between Boyd and Isaac while the two played with her hair and she was playing with at the bottom of her pants.

Derek thought that they were finally done with the conversation when Erica said, "We don't agree with you telling the sheriff's kid anything, but you were trying to protect him, so we won't fault you for that," Derek could never understand how Erica could speak for the three of them and they never seemed to mind, "but be prepared to save his ass again when he comes back."

Derek still doubted that he would come back, but at least his pack didn't reek of grief and sadness anymore.

* * *

Stiles somehow found himself back at the preserve the next day. Logic told him that he shouldn't be here; much less before sunset, but when did he ever listen to that. He didn't even know why he came back so soon. He had fun last night at Jungle, even though Scott spent most of the night flirting with the Allison, the new bartender, but he did have a bad time with the blind date his dad set up.

From what he understood, her Aunt's best friend is a secretary over at the sheriff's office. Stiles wondered if his dad even had any part in choosing the blind date or if he just asked everyone he knew if there were any single girls his age that would be willing to try going on a blind date with his son.

He had spent most of the lunch date listening to her talk about reality TV show characters like they were her best friends and they all regularly went to the mall or had family disputes with each other. At least now he could tell the difference between each Kardashian.

Who even agrees on going to a lunch date as a first date? It was as if she was prepared to stick him into the friend zone before they even met. Well he did recognize her from somewhere, so maybe they did meet before. In that case, it may have been a good call. If only she was remotely interesting. At least Stiles didn't have to worry about going on a date with her again.

Stiles would be hanging out with Scott right now, but last night he was able to score Allison's number and actually managed to grab a date for the evening, but he still wasn't sure how that landed him back into the forest. Stiles knew that the hunter, whom he decided to call Silver Bullet, was still somewhere in the preserve, so he made sure to stay on the trap free side of the mile.

He found himself sitting by the lake this time, which was probably his safest bet to not get shot at. He always found the lake to be oddly beautiful. It always had fairly calm waters. The shore did a weird elevation thing to where it went from sea level to slowly rising nearly 800 feet as it wraps around the lake. When he was younger, Stiles used to imagine that a dragon was wrapped around the lake to protect it from the villains while he and the other kids he used to play with would fight the baddie of the week.

As Stiles was walking along the lake, he was thinking about the boy he used to play with. He honestly felt horrible that he couldn't remember his name. He was still leaning towards Eric, but that still didn't sound right. From what he could remember, they were best friends long before he met Scott, but anything that he remembered from before his mom died was in a thick fog. The doctors had told his dad that he was lucky to be alive after the accident, but he was likely going to have at least some brain damage. It wasn't noticeable at first, but then when his dad started to ask questions about what happened before the accident, it became apparent where the damage was. Luckily most of his memories of his mom were untouched.

He was nearly at the top when he stopped walking to take in the view of the lake a bit. It was hard for him to imagine that poaching was going on in a place so beautiful. Stiles hoped that Derek was doing well with protecting the alpha wolf's pack. He wondered what exactly Derek does for Silver Bullet's hunt. Does he follow him around making sure he doesn't break rules? Maybe he stays by the wolves to make sure Silver Bullet doesn't go after them. He could be following the wolf to let Silver Bullet know where the alpha is. Stiles doesn't remember seeing him around when he ran into the wolf yesterday, but then again he never found out why he was naked to begin with.

Stiles was about to walk back down when he noticed that somebody had carved into a tree he was standing beside. It read, "C.S. was here." He remembered his mother carving the initials of his and the other family's into the trees so they could walk to the lake and back without getting lost. She had carved it lower to the ground so that way the littlest of them would be able to see it. Maybe the house was still close and in one piece.

Stiles started looking for the next tree with initials. He was able to find L.H., D.H., and C.H. before he ended up in a clearing with a clear view of the back of the house he was looking for in the middle. It still looked like the house he remembered, just a little burnt with part of the roof gone, but that didn't matter.

He walked up to the house and went through the back door that he remembered led to the kitchen. Considering how burnt it was, everything still seemed sturdy enough for him to walk through, but what caught his attention were the newer things here and there. A mug was on the counter, and a closed off trash bag in the corner. Stiles walked across the room to look out the window and noticed a Camaro parked in front.

"What are you doing here?"

Now Stiles would like to say that he yelled the manliest of manly yells when he heard that question from behind, but there was no way he could even lie to himself with how it sounded more of a shriek. Although Stiles was curious why a middle-aged man was standing, somehow pristinely, in the middle of a burnt house. He could give a Lydia a run for her money with how clean dressed he looked.

"Peter, stop being the creepy uncle."

Stiles turned his head to see a blonde girl with curls leaning against the door frame that he remembered leading to the dining room. Stiles vaguely heard the man he assumed was Peter mumbling about how he resents the title.

"Hey, it's the sheriff's kid."

Stiles turned his head to the other side to see somebody with a lot of curls sitting nonchalantly on the counter eating an apple. Where did the apple even come from? It was like they were all taking lessons on how to be creepy from "Mr. Creepy Uncle" in the middle.

All of a sudden some tall black guy was standing next to Stiles taking a deep breath. He turned to Creepy Uncle Peter and nodded his head before standing next to the blonde girl, whom Stiles was going to momentarily dub as Goldilocks. His suspicions of the lessons these guys were taking was just confirmed by that weird sniff thing.

Creepy Uncle Peter started to slowly walk up to Stiles with a calculating look to his face.

"There is something awfully familiar with you."

If Stiles wasn't already up against the wall, he would be backing up away further. On second thought, there was a window he could jump through right next to him. It would get him away from these crazy people quicker.

"Is your name, by any chance, Chlodulf?"

Scratch that, he was a dead man now.

"How do you know my name?"

With a smile that scared Stiles more than not, Peter answered, "Don't you remember me? I used to play with you and the other children."

"Dude, you are not sounding any less creepy right now."

The tall one, that Stiles was labeling The Giant, nodded his head with a grimace before saying, "He's right."

Peter scoffed before answering, "I meant Laura, Derek, and Cora."

Before any more questions could be asked, everyone in the room turned their head to the direction of the front door as they heard it being opened. They watched as Derek walked from the front door to the kitchen doorway mumbling about how he probably wasn't going to hear the end of this with a scowl.

Turning to Stiles, Derek asked, "Stiles, what are you doing here?"

Before he could answer, Peter interrupted, "Hello dear nephew. Please tell me why you didn't tell me yesterday that it was Chlodulf that you ran into yesterday."

Stiles was about to ask Creepy Uncle Peter again how he knows his name when Derek asked, "This is Chlodulf?"

Stiles should have learned his lesson yesterday that nothing good could come out of walking around alone in the forest. Now he was going to be murdered by a bunch of creepy creepers and a guy that likes streaking. If somebody were to ask him yesterday if he would likely be murdered by a poacher or a bunch of people that are better suited for magazine covers, he would have figured it would be Silver Bullet.

"Laura told me about the car accident. I thought he didn't make it."

Stiles was about to ask who Laura was when he looked at the guy on the counter again. He felt like he had seen that guy from somewhere recently. Stiles realized that he was Isaac Lahey. Stiles started looking around the room to see who else he recognized. If he was correct, Goldilocks is Erica Reyes, The Giant is Vernon Boyd, and Creepy Uncle Peter is Peter Hale.

"You recognize us?"

Great, his brain to mouth filter was broken again.

Isaac sighed from his spot on the counter before he jumped off and told Derek, "I think we should head into the dining room for this. It seems like we all have some questions that we want to ask."

Derek nodded his head and motioned for everyone to follow him into the next room. Reluctantly Stiles followed the others. He just seriously hoped that he did not stumble into a cult.

* * *

**I was able to keep this chapter in the direction that I wanted, but what I had originally wanted to be said and what actually came out were two really different things. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please send me reviews or PMs. Thank you.**


	4. The Facts

**Hello again. I know it has been a while for me since I last posted, but I had a serious writers block going on. I tried working on an outline of what I wanted to write, but it was looking horrible and I couldn't figure out how to fix it, so I decided to take a small break from this to get my head back in order. Go figure that watching Fight Club would get my mind going again. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters.**

* * *

As Derek was walking into the dining room to discuss everything that was going on, he was thinking about the Chlodulf that he used to know.

Regardless of when or where, they were practically attached to the hip. The two were found outside at all times of the day and night. They spent so many hours in the sun at the Hale house that Chlodulf used to get sunburnt near constantly. Laura used to say that the world would come to an end before they would ever be found separated.

Derek was pretty sure, when they were younger, that they were each other's only friends. Chlodulf used to tell him that the children his age were jealous that he was friends with a much older boy. Derek didn't really care about other people outside of pack, and Chlodulf was pack. All of the Hales loved him. Even Cora, his little sister, had her first crush on him, but she wasn't the only Hale to have a crush on him. Then the day that a part of Derek died came. The Hale house fire.

Derek was crushed when he and Laura had to leave Beacon Hills after the fire without telling Chlodulf that he was fine, but they had to get away before the hunters could hurt them. He made a promise to himself that he would come back and show Chlodulf that he was fine and well. Eventually they made it to New York and started a new life, but then the car accident happened to the Stilinski family.

As soon as they heard about the car accident, Laura went back to Beacon Hills to find out how Chlodulf and Loreto were doing. When she came back, Laura was in tears and told Derek that he could never see Chlodulf again. Another part of Derek died again that day. He never spoke about Chlodulf to anybody after that.

Yesterday, when Derek met Stiles, he was happy to meet him. He smelled so much like his childhood friend that he was able to pretend that Stiles was Chlodulf, minus the too much smell of chemicals and not enough scent of someone practicing with their spark. His eyes were so similar and his heart beat too fast. His hair was longer than Chlodulf had it at, whom insisted that a buzz cut was the best hair style to have. It would have been so easy to just hold the stranger to his person. Much like what he once did with Chlodulf. Derek was tempted to try to keep him, or at least make him able to come back, but he knew that it was best if Stiles didn't come back.

Now that he had Chlodulf again, and he wasn't sure if he was ever going to let him go.

* * *

Stiles sat at the table that the missing people and Derek were walking to. The table and chairs were taller than most with an L shaped bench that wrapped around two sides of the square table and two almost average looking chairs on the other two sides. If it was all average sized, it would look cozy, but the large size made it look too closer to a throne.

Derek sat on the side of the bench against the wall while Peter sat on a chair to his right and the other three on Derek's left. Stiles was left to sit directly across from Derek.

At first, Stiles thought that it was a scare tactic, or at least a way to show the chain of command, but then he noticed how the three sitting together were holding hands. He realized then that they weren't sitting that way for his benefit, but theirs. It was beyond obvious that the time the three spent being 'missing' had made them very close. They probably thought that he would take them away from each other. Damn, he was in a fine mess.

Derek chose this moment to direct Stiles attention back to him by clearing his throat, loudly mind you, and asked, "Chlodulf, how did you recognize nearly everyone in the room?" Derek chose to emphasize his point by waving his arm to the other four at the table.

Stiles sighed before answering, "Like I told you yesterday, my dad is the sheriff. There have been a few missing person cases lately, and in Beacon Hills one case is one too many. Dad usually has pictures of them on the table while I'm making dinner and he is rereading the cases."

Stiles pointed to Peter and said, "Peter was a coma patient and former burn victim. One day his burns essentially disappeared, and while the nurses were trying to get the doctors to find out why it happened, he disappeared himself. It seems now that he pulled a Houdini."

Peter crossed his arms across his chest with a smile. He looked smug.

He then pointed to Erica, whom was sitting in between her two boys, and said, "Erica Reyes has epilepsy. Her father claims that she had gone to the pharmacy to pick up her medication, but never came home. Security cameras in the area confirmed his story. They all showed her walking into the store, but after she came out she walked into a blind spot of one camera and did not come out in the next."

Erica looked down at her lap and Stiles could have sworn he heard bones creak. She looked sad.

Stiles then pointed to Boyd and said, "Vernon Boyd is a quiet person that is part of a nuclear family that includes a sister. She came into the Sheriff's Station one day trying to report Boyd missing, but because of her young age she couldn't do it herself. When spoken to their parents, they said that there was no need to put in the report. They still believe that he simply ran away. My dad promised his sister that he would still treat Boyd as a missing person and look for him."

Boyd turned his head to Erica and, what looked to Stiles, sniffed her hair. He looked guilty.

Stiles finally pointed to Isaac and said, "Isaac Lahey lost his mother and then his older brother all before his junior year of high school. His father, his last living relative, never reported him missing, but neighbors claim that it has been weeks since they have seen him. After the discovery of his father's body and a search of the house, the department has their own beliefs as to why a report was never made. Right now my dad is looking for Isaac's body, convinced that his father killed him after he saw the marks in the freezer."

Isaac placed his head on Erica's shoulders and started to play with the tips of her hair. He just looked dejected.

To Derek, his three younger betas looked too much the way they did last night when they were crowded together against the wall playing with strings and hair. They probably knew that they would be found as soon as Derek told them a little about the incident with Stiles yesterday.

Peter decided that this was his moment to speak.

"Now, normally I wouldn't care, but this is a bit of a pride thing for me with how much work I put into helping these three hide," he even waved his arm to the people across from him. "Tell me how you recognized all of us when we have been playing house two towns over, and not a single person has realized who we are."

"It's Stiles," Erica answered for him. "Short of plastic surgery he would have recognized us before anyone els-

"Not really," Stiles interrupted. "My dad has been staring at most of your photos for weeks. I have been helping my dad post signs all over town in hopes that someone saw something. Erica is right about the plastic surgery part, but only because I have been staring at black and white photo so long that I have your faces and descriptions mostly memorized."

Derek could see what Chlodulf meant. When he met them, Erica was a short haired brunette with green eyes and didn't know how to put on makeup. Now her hair was longer and blonde, she wore colored contacts to make her eyes look brown, and went nowhere with nothing less than her red lip gloss. Boyd used to have a couple of inches of hair, blue eyes, and only spoke when he needed to. He cut it all off, wore black colored contacts, and spoke even less than before. Isaac once had his hair in a buzz cut, had brown eyes, and covered every inch of skin he could. He grew his hair out, wore green contacts, and is now not afraid to show off his arms.

Chlodulf drew Derek's attention back to him.

"Alright then, I answered your questions. Now you tell me what is going on."

Derek looked hard at Chlodulf from his spot. He was trying to figure out the best way to tell the man across from him what is going on. When he was younger, it was best to be blunt with Chlodulf about whatever was going on. Hopefully that fact stayed true.

"About that wolf you saw yesterday…"

Stiles looked confused as to where this could be leading, "Yeah, what does that wolf have to do with everyone in the room?"

Slowly, Derek answered, "That was not a wolf you actually saw."

"What do you mean?"

Derek sighed and closed his eyes, "I am a werewolf and the wolf you saw yesterday was me." He opened his eyes to show that his once green orbs were now red. "Actually, everyone in this room, but you, is a werewolf."

Stiles has always been able to process things quickly. One of the very few benefits to his ADD. Because of this, Stiles was able to help his father with the occasional case or two. Right now, his mind was processing that the man that claimed to be protecting the wolf pack was actually protecting a group of supernatural creatures. The very ones his father has been spending months looking for. He didn't quite know yet why Derek has kept them in the forest, but he did save him from Silver Bullet.

"Well at least now I know why you were naked," Stiles accidently spoke out loud.

All of the betas in the room looked to a blushing Stiles in shock at first. Then they all looked to a surprised Derek with leering looks.

"Tell me Stiles," Erica purred from her seat, "how much of Derek did you see?"

Derek gave a low growl that Stiles was sure meant she needed to drop the subject now.

"Dear nephew," Peter purred from his chair, "I must concur with Erica. Tell us, Chlodulf, did you get a chance to look below the belt."

Derek gave a deeper growl before scolding, "None of you have to be in the room for me to finish this discussion. If you want to stay here, then you better behave yourselves."

Erica crossed her arms and mumbled loud enough for Stiles to hear about how Derek was being no fun.

"Derek?"

"Yes Chlodulf?"

"How do you know how to say my name? For that matter, how do you know who I am?"

Derek looked to Stiles sadly before answering, "Do you really not remember me? We used to play together constantly. I think you even spent more time at my house than yours before you were ten."

Stiles first response to that was not what Derek expected. An apology or a simple no was to be expected.

Instead he heard, "So that was you?" That got Derek to stop looking at the table like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Rubbing the scar underneath his hair, Stiles answered, "My mom and me got into a pretty bad car accident. We both ended up in a coma for a long time. Mom never woke up, but I did at the price of most of my memories and a scar. The doctors said that the more objective stuff, like reading and math, were fine, but the personal things would probably not come back."

Derek was starting to feel a little better about Chlodulf not remembering him.

"I have some fuzzy memories of playing with a kid older than me, but the only thing I had to go off on was that your house was in the preserve and had a decent sized family. I did some research a couple years back, and came up with the name Hale and the fire that happened here. By chance, I ran into the trees with our initials and started to follow them here."

Even though Derek didn't smile, Peter noticed a spark in his eyes that was not there before. To Derek, Chlodulf just came back from the dead.

"Say, Derek," Stiles began to ask, "How did everyone in the room become a werewolf?"

"Well, Chlodulf," Peter answered for Derek, "Derek and I are, what is called, a born werewolf, meaning we were born this way."

To say that Stiles was having a hard time not laughing at the reference was an understatement, regardless of how unintentional it was.

"I met Boyd, Erica, and Isaac individually while in the forest by the river and lake," Derek kindly distracted Stiles. "They all needed something, whether it was a cure, a pack, or getting stronger. I offered them a chance to get it, but I did warn them about the price that they would have to pay."

"I had to give up my dad so I could get my cure," Erica said.

"I had to give up my sister in order to get a pack," Boyd muttered.

"I didn't have anything to lose, really. I just needed to get stronger to protect myself," Isaac whispered barely loud enough for Stiles to hear.

"But I did warn them about the hunter," Derek insisted.

"By the way," Stiles asked, "why is Silver Bullet trying to kill you?"

Derek asked back, "Silver Bullet?"

"Yeah, it's been what I have been calling the hunter: Silver because of his graying hair and Bullet because, well, he did try to kill me with a gun."

Stiles could see that Derek was shaking his head with a small smile with no teeth, but only the betas could hear Derek commenting about how some things just never change.

He then sighed before answering, "Laura came back to Beacon Hills a few months ago by herself. We were sure that after 10 years that it would be safe enough for us to come back. She actually found the hunter that was in charge of the arson of the house."

Derek gave a small smile before continuing, "To say she took care of her with prejudice is an understatement. On my way here, the arson's father, the hunter that you met, started to hunt my sister."

Derek sighed dejectedly before continuing, "I thought we would be able to rebuild the house together, but I found her dead at the front porch. I buried her and a few days later Peter found me sitting by the grave I dug right after he got out of the hospital. We were going to buy back the house from the county and get contractors to rebuild the house when Peter and I became the hunted."

He then began, what looked like the closest to imploring Stiles has seen Derek do, "It really was fine with just me and Peter. Even with Erica, Peter protected her while I ran interference with the hunter. But I turned Boyd and Isaac, and we weren't able to do that anymore."

Derek rubbed his eyes tiredly before continuing again, "I made a deal with the hunter, more of a spell really. We went to a witch, well a spark is what she is called, and now I get hunted as a wolf while Peter makes sure that they stay away or are hiding in our 'den' from sunrise to sunset." Derek even made the air quotes in that last sentence.

"Wait, what's a spark?"

"Well, Chlodulf," Peter answered, "a spark is a person that can sort of do magic. While a witch is said to do magic based off of ability, a spark does their work through will alone. The stronger the will, the more potent the spark."

Stiles nodded his head in understanding.

"So I am guessing that you met a very powerful spark that set up a spell that doesn't take away your will, but I'm sure is dangerous to break by force."

"Exactly," Peter answered.

"And it is also safe to assume that you all have been staying in this house."

"Yes," Derek responded with a raised brow

For a pregnant pause, Stiles looked at Derek before saying, "You do realize that now I know this, none of you are spending another night here."

* * *

**Now I am sorry to say that I will not be able to post for about a week at least. I am moving in a few days, and I am really not sure how long it will take me to get to my new address and get everything in order. Regardless, I will continue writing this story, just don't expect anything for a while. I hope you guys enjoyed what you read. I would love to get your reviews and PMs as a going away gift. Thank you for your continued support.**


	5. House Guests

**I am so sorry for taking so long to post again. Moving has been crazy and hectic for me. I would have posted something sooner, but I had not been able to even brainstorm what I wanted to be said in the next chapter. I usually do it all in one go, but with everything going on, I felt it was best to do it in parts and hopefully post something sooner rather than trying to wait until I have enough time to do it in one go like I usually do. It has actually made me write a longer chapter this time than the previous ones I have posted. As I was going through the chapter, I realized that it worked better as two different chapters, so now hear is the first part of my special surprise. Hopefully I can continue to post at least at a weekly pace. I am not abandoning this fic and I will have it completed. Please let me know how you feel. I do not own Teen Wolf or any of it's characters.**

* * *

Looking back on it now, Stiles can say that he could have convinced Derek a lot easier and calmer if he had gone about the conversation another way. Nothing really comes to mind to answer the question of how, but he is sure that it could have gone better.

* * *

_"What do you mean you won't let us stay here another night" asked Derek with an incredulous look on his face._

_"I mean that all of you are going to stay at my house," Stiles answered back like it was the most rational thing in the world._

_Derek stared at Stiles hard, like he was trying to figure out what was wrong with him, before he retorted, "Absolutely not."_

_"Why not? Unless part of the spell forces you guys to live here it should be easy enough for you to just stay at my place." To Stiles, his proposal was pretty simple._

_"For you to do that, Chlodulf, would mean that you would be putting your life at risk and I will not have you give up any part of your life to help us."_

_Stiles groaned in frustration before countering back, "I am not asking for the bite, I just want to help protect your pack that we all want to keep safe."_

_Derek sighed back, "You are a part of this pack, Chlodulf, from birth, but that does not mean that I will put your life in danger as well."_

_Derek knew he must have said something wrong when Chlodulf started to get a calculated look in his eyes. _

_The honey-eyed boy watched Derek for a while before saying, "First off, please stop calling me that. I don't go by my birth name anymore, and it worries me that you know how to say it. I go by Stiles now. Ask them," Stiles spoke while pointing to the three on Derek's left. _

_"Second, what do you mean that I have been part of the pack since birth?"_

_Derek shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Your mother was part of the pack, so you are entitled to a place in the pack."_

_Derek definitely knew he said something wrong when Chlodulf raised an eyebrow and smiled at him._

_"Well then, I guess I am staying here tonight. The rest of the pack already stays here, so I might as well join the slumber party, but I wonder what will happen come morning and I have to head home. Silver Bullet will already be out by then, and even though he doesn't know I am part of the pack, he will very likely shoot me for what happened yesterday. What will we do then, Derek? We don't want to leave the human of the group unprotected, do we?"_

* * *

Initially, Stiles thought he had pushed too far when he heard Derek growl and watched his eyes go from green to red, but the next thing he heard was Derek ordering the pack to grab an overnight bag because they were staying at the Stilinski residence. Stiles thought that the hard part was done, but he didn't take into account how he was going to live with five other people that he didn't want his dad to find out about.

To say that the Hale pack has a few odd habits is akin to saying a turtle's shell is kind of hard, a total understatement.

It turns out that they all sleep together. Now keep in mind that he doesn't mean anything sexual, although if you were to watch them sleep, you would likely think otherwise. What Stiles means is that the pack sleeps on the same bed together and tries to touch each other in some way. Except for Peter, who just lays close to all of them as if he is watching over them, which naturally comes off as extremely creepy.

Lately, because Stiles' bed isn't big enough for all of them, they are all resigned to the floor into a giant puppy pile. Just the other night, Boyd had his arm draped over Erica and Isaac while touching Stiles' side. Erica was able to lay her legs across Isaac and Stiles' legs while hugging Boyd's arm. Isaac had Erica's hair curled loosely around his fingers while half laying on Stiles and resting his hand above Boyd's. The Almighty Alpha, a.k.a. Derek, decided he wanted to starfish over all four of them while touching Peter's leg that so happened to be next to Stiles' head.

Now, you may be wondering how Stiles was aware of all of this. The answer is rather simple. Apparently werewolves run hotter than normal people, so Stiles ends up staying up half the night because he is too hot and the wolves insist on being able to constantly touch pack. That is not even the weirdest part about the group. It is to be expected that they each have a weird quirk, but sometimes it's difficult to live with.

Derek, for example, loves to read. When he comes home from the hunt, he likes to shower, eat a large dinner, and read a book. The problem about him reading the book is that he never puts it down, like literally, and yet he manages to still be able to control everything. One time, Erica had Stiles pinned on the living room floor after declaring that she wanted to reenact a scene from Lion King. While Stiles was calling for help from Boyd, whom was just watching everything go down, Derek comes up behind Erica, wraps an arm around her waist and lifts her, carries her to the dining room, and places a full balanced meal in front of her, that he cooked, all while still reading a book. He didn't even put the book down while he was making dinner. Derek claims that he was able to cook only using his nose, but Stiles thinks it's a special ability that only alphas have.

And the man still insists on calling him by his birth name. Luckily the others haven't started to do the same yet. Stiles suspects it's because they still aren't sure how they are even suppose to pronounce it.

Boyd, on the other hand, sticks to Erica's side all the time. Stiles would say that he follows her around like a lost puppy, but knows that is not how to best describe what he does at all. Boyd is always by her side like a shadow is always connected to your feet. Even if your shadow seems to not actually be touching you in some way, it will always become reattached at your feet. Erica was upset once about how she couldn't get a stain out of one of the sheriff's shirts. Instead of trying to get her to calm down about it, which no one can ever do when Erica is doing laundry, he starts rubbing her shoulders and listens to what she says about all of the different things she has tried to do to get the damn stain out of the shirt. Mid-way through her rant, Boyd stops rubbing her shoulders and heads upstairs to the bathroom and comes back with the bottle of hair spray. It seemed that was the trick to get the stain out because she thanks him by kissing his cheek and tells him he is the best. There are a few times where Boyd will be nowhere in the house. It has worried Stiles a couple times, but nobody seems worried and Erica doesn't even bat an eyelash. Eventually he will come home and be right back at Erica's side.

Now, Isaac loves to cuddle. You will always find him cuddling, or at least sitting closely, with someone. With Stiles he will play video games against him and will have Stiles sit against the couch while he lies on the floor with his legs across Stiles' lap. At least once a day, Isaac will sit back to back against Boyd while he is looking for online videos so Isaac can try a new style with Erica's hair while she is sitting between his legs. After dinner, Isaac will sit on the floor against the front of the arm chair that Derek is sitting in while getting his head scratched by the alpha.

Stiles has wanted to make some sort of joke about how Isaac loves to play with Erica's hair and likes for Derek to mess with his, but then Stiles sees the way he looks when he plays with Erica's hair like he can't believe he is able to touch something so beautiful without consequences, and how he looks so happy that someone is giving him kind touches when he is so used to fearing what will happen next that would land him into the freezer. Even when he is just touching someone by sitting shoulder to shoulder, he looks so satisfied with having people that care about him.

Gorgeous Erica loves to try to mess with Stiles by playing with his ear with her mouth and whispering things to him. When Erica was reenacting the scene from Lion King, she would lean down to Stiles' ear and whisper, "Pinned ya," and pull on his ear lobe with her teeth. Another time, shortly after Stiles came home from the grocery store, she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him before she licked the shell of his ear and whispered that she hopes that he picked up everything that she asked for. She really emphasized on the everything part with her mouth and body that time. What really traumatized Stiles though was one night he was having a wonderful dream about porn in real life staring him and it seemed the other person had a thing for his ears, constantly licking them, nibbling at the edges, and whispering all of the dirty things they wanted to do to him. It was a wonderful dream until his ear felt too wet and he woke up to find Erica on his back doing what the dream sexy porn star was doing to him. Naturally, he screamed and started yelling how it was unfair that she ruined a really awesome dream of majorly awesome proportions.

When he asked Isaac why she only does that to him, he told Stiles about what happened when she tried to do that to them. Apparently, she tried it on Derek first, who tossed her onto her back and told her to never do that again. She did it to Isaac once and he told her that it felt too much like incest. She agreed. She attacked Boyd's ear once, and it is claimed that he told her that he appreciates the affection, but unless she is planning on making through with her promise in front of the pack, she better save it for later when they are alone. Stiles only half believes that story. There is no way Boyd actually said that much at once.

Peter likes to stand in the background and watch everyone do their thing. In all of the previously mentioned scenarios of the pack life at the Stilinski house, Peter has been leaning against something watching it all play out. To Stiles, this makes him seem like an extra creepy creeper, but Peter refuses to be touched needlessly.

Stiles has never seen anyone in the pack try to hug Peter or touch him in any friendly way. Erica told him once that when Isaac tried to sit shoulder to shoulder with Peter, the man actually pushed Isaac away and told him that he appreciates that he wants to get cuddly with him, but he would rather be close rather than actually touching. Stiles doesn't understand how he could do that to Isaac, who has the puppy-dog eyes of doom that rivals Scott's, but what Peter doesn't notice is that Stiles can see the way he looks at everyone in the pack with love that one can only have for family, so Stiles will let him get away with his creepy creeper ways.

Living with the pack has been pretty good all-around for Stiles. Every day they all see Derek off at the forest behind the Stilinski yard and everyone branches off to do their own thing for the day. Erica is usually found doing laundry. Sometimes Boyd will disappear for about an hour, but is typically by Erica's side. Isaac is commonly found watching online videos and Peter is off doing Peter things. When the sheriff is home during the day, the pack all hide in the guest room where Stiles swears that no one will ever go into. Stiles has even taken to locking his bedroom door at night so his dad won't catch all of the adults having a puppy pile on the floor. Derek usually comes home through the back door at sunset, but when John is home he will climb in through Stiles' bedroom window. When the sheriff starts asking why so much food is getting made, Stiles will tell him that he is making food for the homeless that live in town. Really Stiles is only half-lying.

The rest of the pack really enjoyed staying at the Stilinski house during their days. Erica and Isaac have explained to Stiles that they used to go to the mall and the movie theaters a couple towns away so they could hide from the hunters, but where none of the locals should have been able to recognize them, since it was likely that they never went to school together or even grew up in the same area.

Stiles was able to enjoy the company of the pack. His father used to tell him about how he and his mother had wanted to have many children, but of course those plans were forced into a cancel. Stiles supposes that the amount of noise and activity in the house while the sheriff is away is close to what Loreto wanted. For a couple weeks, the pack enjoyed playing house with each other, but then a new problem came.

**When I started trying to brainstorm for this chapter, I started to come up with ideas for other fics I could write, like a Supernatural/Teen Wolf crossover fic where Dean and Cas were Stiles parents, or one where both Lydia and Jackson loved Stiles while dating each other, and an AU based off of the movie Repo: the Genetic Opera. Eventually I realized that, as much fun as I was having coming up with new stories, I really ought to get my head back into the one already in progress.**

**I feel that too often in Teen Wolf, we don't get to see what makes the characters them when they aren't trying to stay alive, but I also know someone will always be after them in some way, so I wanted to write what I think the pack would do when they have some downtime. I know this seems like a filler chapter, but please keep in mind that this chapter was originally suppose to be longer, but because of the way it flowed, it seemed best to make it two. Please write a review or send me a PM and tell me about what you think of this chapter, what you think about this fic in general, what your feelings are about my story ideas, or all of the above. Thank you.**


	6. New Threat

**For those of you guys that don't know or didn't notice, I posted two chapters at once, so make sure you read the one before this. Thank you. I do not own Teen Wolf or any of its characters.**

* * *

Stiles was able to convince Derek that they should move all of their stuff into his house since they all live there anyway. He was waiting for sunset to come while he was sitting in his jeep at the parking lot next to the lake. Stiles really did not want to risk a run-in with Silver Bullet before the hunt reached its daily time-out. Eventually, with it being Stiles, he got bored and decided to walk around the jeep for a little bit before he jumped back in. As he closed the car door, Stiles saw Derek walk up to him still fully wolfed out.

Stiles loved to see Derek fully wolfed out. He was just a little bigger than a King Shepard with a full beautiful black coat that shone wonderfully against the sun. Derek, as a human and a wolf, walks with a certain grace that can never be truly mimicked. His strides are full confidence and yet he never seems conceited. Somehow he just exudes certainty.

Derek walked up to Chlodulf, keeping his red eyes in contact with Stiles honey ones, while slowly changing out of his wolf form back into his very naked human form.

Stiles tried very hard to keep in strict eye contact with Derek and not look below the neck, no matter how bad he wanted to. It was a very trying task, but luckily for him Derek made it easier when Stiles caught the smirk that quickly flashed his face when he noticed Stiles' eyes twitching to look lower. There was no way he was giving him the satisfaction of a win.

Derek stopped less than a foot away from Chlodulf, where the two had a small staring contest to see who would call uncle first. It seemed like Stiles would lose, but then Derek asked, "Do you have my clothes?"

Stiles smiled at the small victory before he directed Derek to the back seat. Stiles may be the weaker of the two in nearly every way possible, but no one can deny that California can be cold at night, especially when you are bare-ass naked.

As Derek was getting dressed in the back, Stiles hopped back into the car and started driving towards the Hale house. In order to get to the road for the Hale house, Stiles has to drive off the preserve, onto the main road, and then take a fenced-off road that only Derek has the key to.

On the way to the main road, it seemed as if Stiles brain to mouth filter was broken again when he asked, "Why did you offer them the bite?"

"What?" Unsurprisingly, the question surprised Derek.

Keeping his eyes on the road, Stiles clarified, "Erica, Boyd, and Isaac, why did you give them the bite?"

Derek sighed in forbearance, trying to figure out the right answer, the right way, to answer his question. When he finished getting dressed, Derek crawled up to the front passenger seat and stared out the side window.

"Erica was going to commit suicide when I first met her."

After hearing that, Stiles served hard in shock before he snapped back to the present and corrected himself. Obviously that was not the best way to start.

"She just had another bad seizure a few days before, and unfortunately this was at the gas station down the road from her house. Some snot-nosed brat saw her and decided to record it. She found the video online two days later. It probably wouldn't have been so bad for her if her mom didn't decide not long after that she had enough trying to care for a daughter with severe epilepsy.

"When I met her, she was holding onto a tree that was too close to the edge of the cliff. I called out to her and she slipped. She was about to fall over the edge when I caught her and pulled her away from the edge. I yelled at her asking if she had a death wish. I was surprised when she answered that she did. I got her to tell me why she wanted to do it and I couldn't help but empathize with her. I told her that I could take away her epilepsy, but she would have to leave behind everything she knew. She asked if she could ever see her father again and I told her that the price she would have to pay for her cure would be to never see him again. She still loves her father very much, but she hated her condition more."

Stiles could not believe that the happy Erica he knew was ready to give up her life just seconds before meeting Derek. Looking at her now, he never would have guessed that would be her story.

Shortly afterwards, Stiles took the turn he needed to end up on the main road. He started thinking about the other newer betas and hoped that their story was not the same as Erica's.

"Wait, what about Boyd and Isaac," Stiles asked, "did they want to kill themselves before you offered the bite?"

Derek shook his head before answering, "Erica was the only one, but Boyd was knocking on death's door when I met him. The hunter had spotted Boyd hiking and decided he wanted to make sure that he couldn't find out about the wolf he was hunting, so he shot him. He eventually told me that he just wanted to go for a hike and pick a couple mushrooms for this herbology book his little sister was working on.

"Right before I gave him the bite, I apologized for not holding the hunter's attention long enough for Boyd to just ignorantly walk away. I told him that I would save his life as retribution, but he can't see his family again. He had vaguely whispered something about his sister and how he couldn't leave her alone. I told him that he could see her, but she can never see him again. I know it's not what he actually wanted, but he accepted it for what it was."

Stiles could feel a part of him dying with the end of the story. That explains where Boyd goes when he just disappears. With as close as he is to her, Stiles couldn't help but wonder if Boyd has ever told Erica where he goes when he is not by her side and if she resents Derek for allowing Boyd to see his family.

"Was Isaac hurt too badly when you met him?"

Derek was not surprised by Chlodulf's question. He shook his head no again before telling Isaac's story.

"His dad had another outburst and Isaac was hiding out in the preserve to wait out his father to drink himself blind. Isaac was unlucky enough to walk right into one of the traps that the hunter set up. It was a simple covered pit trap with the added bonus of wolfsbane tipped spikes at the bottom. I grabbed him before he could get hurt, but I quickly let him go when I heard him hiss in pain. I immediately apologized for hurting him when he assured me that it wasn't me. That's when he showed me the bruise on his side. I punched a tree and started to demand that he tell me who did that to him. Instead of looking at me in fear, he seemed amazed and asked if I could teach him how to break a tree just like I did. I didn't even realize I was so angry until I saw the tree was in half. He told me that he wanted to stop living in fear in his own home and knew that he had to get stronger for him to get what he wants. I told him that I could make him strong and that he would never have to see the man that hurt him ever again. Isaac then told me he would do it. His exact words were, 'I have nothing to lose.'"

Stiles contemplated what Derek said. He was glad that the alpha found Isaac when he did.

The duo reached the gate that Derek had to unlock for them to finish the drive to the Hale house. Stiles watched Derek get out of the care, unlock the gate, and get back in while thinking about the last part of the story of how the pack came to be. Stiles had heard from his father what the Sheriff's Department has found out about what went on inside the Lahey house, and none of those things sounded wholesome and safe.

"So those were the only ones you ever offered the bite too?"

Derek sighed before he answered, "There was one before I met Erica. He saw me as a wolf at first and he was downwind from me, so I didn't see him. I turned back into my human form right in front of him, and that was when he made himself known. He demanded to know what I was. I tried to tell him that he was seeing things, but he didn't buy it. He told me that if I didn't give him the bite then he would go to town and tell people about me, so I bite him."

Stiles quickly turned to Derek before looking back at the road and asked, "Why haven't I met him yet?"

Derek dropped his head a little and then said, "I didn't see him again for a couple days after that and I was worried that he would or already did attack someone when he found me and commanded that I tell him why he wasn't a werewolf. The bite didn't take. Usually, when the bite gets rejected, the person dies, but he didn't. I told him that he was probably immune to it and he better thank his stars that he didn't die from it. He didn't like what I had to say, but I haven't seen him since."

Stiles wanted to ask Derek why he gave the other three the bite if it could have killed them, but then he thought about how Erica had wanted to die, Boyd was dying, and how Isaac would have probably been killed soon. Maybe it was best that Derek gave them the bite, despite the risk.

They finally made it to the house and the two went inside to grab the rest of the bags. In the few trips Derek had made to the house before and after sunrise and sunset, he had packed all of the pack's possessions a little at a time. They were going to rent a moving van in a few days to move the few furniture they had to a storage unit until Derek was able to rebuild the house.

Derek had mixed feelings when he saw the last three bags left by the front door. He knew that as soon as he put those bags into the car then they would officially be moved out of his childhood home. The house had seen better years and there were some sad memories tied to the home, but he spent his childhood here and there were a lot of good memories that went to the house as well.

Derek felt Chlodulf's hand on his shoulder before he heard him say, "You know this is only temporary. This is just until the hunter stops going after you guys and you are able to get a contractor to rebuild this place."

Derek didn't say anything, but he nodded his head before picking up the bags and walking with him back to the car.

Derek didn't have a chance to try to deal with his emotions when he smelled something odd in the air. He knew what a lizard and wolf smelled like, but this seemed to be an odd combination of the two mixed with something else.

Derek stopped walking and listened while he tried to place that scent. Stiles walked a couple more steps before he noticed Derek not moving. He was about to say something when Derek turned to him and raised his pointer finger against his mouth in the universal sign of hush.

He honestly tried not to say anything or move, but he was only able to go a few minutes before Stiles' ADD couldn't take it anymore. He was about to ask what was going on when they heard some rustling in the trees above them.

Derek looked up to see if he could spot it. He quickly dropped the bags he was holding and rolled to the side as a giant lizard landed right where he was just seconds before.

Derek turned his head to Chlodulf and told him, "Run, get in the car now."

Stiles was about to protest when the lizard being tried to scratch at Derek's chest with its huge claws.

He turned his head again to Stiles and yelled, "Now!"

Stiles didn't need to be told again, he ran to the jeep, hopped in, and watched as Derek fought the creature from the black lagoon.

Stiles noticed that the monster, a term that he does not use loosely, looked like a giant lizard the size of a grown man with grey skin. It reminded him a lot of a the lizard antagonist from Spider-Man, except Stiles doubted that he was as smart and he was definitely not as buff. The lizard creature was all lean muscle and speed with, what seemed to be, blind instinct.

Derek had been dodging left and right as the lizard creature was trying to get one scratch in. It looked like Derek was going to tire him out soon when he felt gravel break away from where he placed his foot. He turned around to see that he was lead to the edge of the cliff that wrapped around the lake. What a rookie mistake.

Derek suddenly felt a prick at the back of his neck. He would have smacked the bug that he thought bit him, but he couldn't raise his arm. Turning his back on the fight: another mistake. Derek felt himself sway a little before he fell forward down the edge of the cliff into the lake. As Derek was falling he saw Stiles dive over the edge and aim himself to Derek.

Derek landed into the water and Chlodulf splashed next to him. Derek tried to hold his breath, but he didn't think he could last. That was when he felt arms wrap around him and get pushed up to the top of the water.

Stiles and Derek coughed after they broke through and were able to breathe air again. Stiles held on tightly to Derek as he waded the water.

"I thought I told you to wait in the car," Derek growled to Chlodulf.

Stiles answered back, "I did, but then you guys moved from my line of sight and I started to follow you two since you were so focused on each other. It was a good thing too, or else I wouldn't have seen you fall. How paralyzed are you?"

Derek tried to move everything he could, but it all felt a little numb.

"Nothing from the neck down."

"Damn."

The two stayed in the center of the lake, waiting for the lizard to show itself or for Derek to no longer be paralyzed.

* * *

**I honestly feel really bad that it took me as long as it did for me to post another chapter up. On the bright side, I was able to put up two instead of one. I know that in cannon, that was not how Derek gave them the bite, but I figured that since I already changed so much, why not just do it all AU-ish. Tell me what you thought about these chapters in a PM, or just send in a review.**


End file.
